Colorado’s quiet killer: Alcohol ends more lives than overdoses, but there’s been no intervention

Colorado consistently has one of the worst rates of drinking related death in the country, but alcohol hasn’t gotten nearly the attention devoted to other drugs. In this four part series, The Denver Post investigated why so many Coloradans are dying from drinking, and what the state could do in an effort to reduce the number of people lost.

By the most conservative measures, alcohol kills nearly as many Coloradans as drug overdoses. When counting deaths from chronic conditions caused and worsened by alcohol, drinking’s toll far exceeds that of illicit drugs. Deaths from drinking shot up since 2018, but during that time, Colorado didn’t take steps designed to change that trajectory, like raising alcohol taxes.

The only major changes in liquor laws during that time expanded where residents could buy alcohol. The months long investigation included interviews with dozens of experts, families that lost loved ones, people in recovery from alcohol addiction and groups trying to change the state’s heavy drinking culture.

Read our series on Colorado’s silent killer below: Coloradans die from the effects of alcohol at one of the highest rates in the country, but, in comparison to fentanyl, the state’s reaction has been a shrug. Legislators haven’t seriously considered measures to discourage drinking, and voters expanded access to alcohol in grocery stores.

Experts say raising state alcohol taxes also would make more money available for programs aimed at preventing unhealthy drinking and to enforce the state’s liquor laws. Currently, the department charged with regulating Colorado’s alcohol outlets can’t afford to fill all its open positions. Five years ago, a workgroup tasked with finding ways to reduce Colorado’s rate of drinking related deaths issued a simple recommendation: cut back on when and where people can buy alcohol.

Since then, however, the state has only expanded access to alcohol. Despite the availability of addiction programs, people who are concerned about their own drinking or a loved one’s don’t always know where to turn. Treatment options may not meet patients’ preferences, aren’t easily accessible in certain parts of the state, or don’t necessarily accept all forms of insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid..